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Sofas
It’s worth investing in quality when it comes to sitting comfortably. A well-designed sofa should be somewhere you look forward to landing at the end of the day. These options offer something for every budget.
ElizabethLove Your HomeI haven’t generally been a fan of the armless sofa, but rebrand it as a daybed, take it out of the sitting room, and I’m in. If you have a large kitchen with room for a sofa (the oft-stated goal of the extension) then putting one of these in will still give you a comfy spot for a morning coffee and a chat, but also mean you use the more traditional sofa in the sitting room in the evenings. I know so many people who extend their kitchens to allow for a sofa and then abandon their perfectly nice sitting rooms because they're already too comfy. The candy-stripe fabric is perfect as well.
ElbertRowen & WrenThere are certain pieces of furniture that might feel indulgent but will actually last a lifetime. Given that we in the UK live in the smallest houses in Europe, a sofa that measures just 168cm long is a great idea. Buy it now for a small flat or rental, put it in a bay window when you upsize and money is tight for new furniture – and then move it to a bedroom where it will sit happily at the end of the bed receiving clothes that are between wash and wardrobe. In a really big house it will look pretty on a landing, and when you enter the downsizing phase of life the 46cm height means you will be able to get up and down without that tell-tale “oof”.
Stripe LipsRockett St GeorgeThe original Mae West Lips sofa, created in 1935 by Salvador Dali, began as a sketch on the back of an envelope and is now considered one of the most important pieces of Surrealist furniture ever created. In 2018 the Victoria & Albert Museum acquired one from the original pair for around £500,000. Studio 65 later created their own version – Bocca (Italian for mouth) – which sells for around £8,000 on 1st Dibs. For everyone else, there’s this for £650 and it’s kind of fun for a bedroom or landing, or a large hallway.
ShoreditchDarlings of ChelseaIt can be hard to choose a sofa online when they're all cut-out images in grey fabric, but a few guidelines can help. In a small room pick one with legs, as that will reveal more floor which will make the room look bigger than a box shape that hulks. Narrow arms will look lighter, as well as giving you more sitting space. Always check the depth, too – while you want to be comfortable, too deep means you'll end up lying down. Nothing wrong with that, but be aware. The round cushions at the ends of this one are a nice touch.
At The Helm LeoJohn LewisIf you’ve always hankered after the design classic Togo but the budget hasn’t been there, or you now feel it’s a tad low (it’s OK, it IS) then this might be your answer. The colours are quite classic but you can jazz it up with cushions, or you might prefer the leather version – the Yellowstone is probably the one for that proper Seventies vibe. I’m wary of leather sofas but in Seventies style they work well, and (I speak from experience) are more stain-resistant than you might think.
Flow Grand Three-SeaterJohn LewisA high-street version of the Soho Home Vivienne, this comes in a variety of colours and configurations so don’t be put off by the rather clumsy CGI (or is it AI these days?). It’s a mix of pocket springs and foam, so it will be comfortable and you can start with a three-seater and add bits as you go along. A single middle unit is £499, to give you a sense of what you are getting into.
Remy Sculptural ArmlessAnthropologieNow this isn’t for everyone, because it’s very much a secondary sofa... By which I mean if you have one room with one TV then it isn’t the one – but if you have a drawing room or a sitting room that's for chatting rather than watching, then it's a super-elegant choice. It’s billed as light yellow, but it’s basically a rich clotted cream. It would be great in a large bedroom, at the end of the bed with an artfully draped silk dressing gown over it – not yesterday’s trackie bottoms, please.
Hamish ModularSoho HomeI love everything about this, from the wavy velvet upholstery to the table at the back – which is perfect for a lamp, a book and a martini. It’s that sort of sofa. You can buy it as a straight two- or three-seater but really it’s made to be modular and to snake around the sitting room, Seventies-style. Comes in a range of deeply lush autumnal colours from tobacco to cream and olive. If you like the idea but haven’t got room for the table then the Vivienne is a slightly curvier model.
Sage Low Sofa Benchmark FurnitureIt can be hard to find an environmentally friendly sofa but this has been developed in collaboration with the Naturalmat company to create 100 percent natural fillings using sustainable and non toxic coir, latex and sheep’s wool, which is naturally fire-retardant. You can have a high back (which is a little more corporate) or the more domestic version with a lower back. The beautiful grain of the wood is visible from the back so it’s lovely for an open plan space too.
ElizaLove Your HomeSometimes you just want a classic pretty sofa – and this is that. Instead of back cushions which need plumping every night, this has extra-deep stuffing in the frame so it looks fat and inviting but also neater and less interventionist. There are springs in the base for extra comfort as well. If you don’t want goose feather stuffing, you can opt for silicone wadding.
